Those of us in the technology world are often known for buying gadgets just because they are new and exciting, but just as many prefer to not buy more than they have to. Many like keeping things simple, and don’t want more complexity than necessary, staying on the cutting edge in not the most important aspect to the technology they use.
There can be something exciting about technology no one wants anymore, much of my technology comes from those who wanted faster more effective hardware. I find it a personal challenge to see how I can overcome “slower” technology and make it work for me just as well as any of the computers or devices that come in new boxes. Sometimes, it just takes creative thinking and maybe a few extra add ons to get more from that vintage hardware.
Not saying that the pros can’t appreciate tech that pushes the bottlenecks of throughput and multitasking ever further, just trying to point out that with everyone wanting the latest and greatest technology, there is a ton of what’s often considered “useless” old hardware ripe for the pickings by those who don’t mind dealing with glitchy, slow, unreliable tools that we can manage to hobble along with and squeeze every last ounce of usefulness out of.
The trouble with that lifestyle of course is that the standards and expected system requirements for today’s constantly evolving and diverse software world, wireless communication layers, new power and data connector types and adapter specifications, it’s hard to keep using anything even less than 10 years old without being severely limited in functionality.
Apple is nice enough to consider their machines still useful and within repairability range more than 5 years for many of is models of iPhone, iPad, iPod and Mac. That is honestly pushing it though when so much changes so fast. USB-C is a great herald of the coming age of universal connections and it’s amazing how backwards compatible it still is. Eventually, it’s going to keep evolving and eventually lose compatibility for those legacy devices so many of us still use.
As your devices start to age, consider your options. Many users want to keep hardware going as long as you can, but perhaps are not aware of the best means to do that. I always urge users to keep up with free OS updates on both their computers and iPads provided their hardware can handle the updates. Computers specifically remain current and functional significantly longer when software is kept up to date. It’s not uncommon for users to get another 2-3 years beyond a machine’s average lifespan (typically 4-5 years) with this one simple step. As most computers no longer allow for a hard drive or memory upgrades after the time of purchase, this is your best option. With iOS devices, the philosophy is very similar but with some caution. Generally speaking, installing iOS updates as they come out works very well for about 3 years. With iOS devices, it’s been my experience that the devices do not run well beyond this time period. Not is all lost, however, you can still get some more time out of your iPad just keeping it at its peak version of iOS. The iPad might be sluggish, but it will still provide basic usage and functionality and are often great units to be passed onto younger kids or novice users.
There is no crystal ball to know really how long you will get out of your device. But if you are a user who likes to hold onto items until it’s last breath, rest assured, you are not alone!